Santa Monica Bombing Suspect Arrested

According to YWN, the suspect in the bombing of a Santa Monica synagogue (a Chabad shul) was arrested in the Agudah shul in Cleveland Heights (I'm assuming they mean Torah U'Tefillah, across the street from the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland on Taylor Road).

Sources tell YWN that the suspect arrived at the home of the Rov on Sunday evening, asking for a place to sleep. Community activists involved in assisting people, questioned the man asking him for his name, and where he was from. All his answers were very vague, and the man refused to answer many questions – even brushing their questions off using perfect Yiddish. Instead of allowing him to sleep in the local “Hachnosas Orchim” room, they placed the man in a motel for the night, and brought him Kosher food to eat.

This afternoon, the man once again requested to stay in the Hachnosas Orchim room, but once again refused to reveal his name. Instead he said his name was “Ron Jay”.

A short while later, the community activist who had been dealing with him all day, was at home and using a computer, and suddenly came a cross a photo of the suspect while reading the news. The resemblance was shocking. The facial features were exactly as this homeless man was, just that he was missing his beard.

The man called the FBI, who in turn instructed him to call the local police department, who arrived to where the man was – which was inside the Agudah Shul. The suspect was sitting in front of an open Sefer, when he was politely asked by police to exit the Shul. He followed instructions, and after getting outside, he confirmed that his name was in fact “Ron Hirsch”.

He was arrested without further incident.

Interesting. I wonder why he picked Cleveland, unless he was simply looking for a place with an Orthodox community large enough to help him out but hoping not to come across anyone who may recognize him.